PG&E Nears Electric Restoration Completion; Gas Restoration More Than 60 Percent Complete in Communities Impacted by Northern...
October 16 2017 - 6:38PM
Business Wire
PG&E Urges Customers Not to Relight
Pilot Lights Themselves for Safety Reasons
More than 4,300 Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
employees and mutual-aid partners continued restoring electric and
gas service to customers impacted by the unprecedented wind-driven
wildfires in Northern California. As restoration efforts continue
around the clock, PG&E has an absolute focus on customer and
public safety while supporting firefighting efforts.
By late Monday night, the company anticipates restoring service
to essentially all electric customers able to receive it, once
approval to energize is granted by CAL FIRE. By Wednesday night,
the company anticipates restoring service to all gas customers able
to receive it, once safe access is granted by CAL FIRE.
“To support all of our customers impacted by these terrible
wildfires, we have marshalled one of the largest restoration
responses in recent company history at a scale that compares with
our response during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake,” said Nick
Stavropoulos, PG&E president and chief operating officer.
“Surveying the devastation with our crews first hand is a sobering
experience, and I am humbled by the dedication of our team and
partners who are tirelessly working around the clock to restore
electric and gas service. We won’t rest until all our customers are
restored, and we will continue to support our customers in the long
term as they work to rebuild and recover from this tragedy.”
Electric Progress
Since Monday, October 9, PG&E has restored power to more
than 94 percent of customers that lost power during the wildfires.
Currently, there are approximately 22,000 electric customers
without power in the fire-impacted areas. There are approximately
15,200 customers who are out of power in Sonoma County. There are
about 2,800 customers out of power in Napa County. Where it is safe
to do so, and where PG&E is granted access and authorization to
re-energize our powerlines by CAL FIRE, the company expects to be
able to restore essentially all customers by Monday night.
Gas Progress
Since Monday, October 9, to protect customer and public safety,
PG&E proactively turned off gas service to about 42,000
customers in the affected areas of Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino
counties. Some 900 workers, from PG&E and from mutual-aid
partners, have been working to relight pilot lights in areas where
it is safe to do so. Over the past several days, we have restored
gas service to approximately 23,000 customers or approximately 60%
of impacted customers who can safely take service. We are working
to restore the remaining 15,000 gas customers who are able to
accept service.
PG&E appreciates its customers’ patience during this
process, and understands the urgency in relighting appliances in
homes and businesses. With safety as the top priority, PG&E
asks that customers please do not attempt to relight pilot
lights themselves. For customer safety, PG&E will perform
this service and conduct a safety check. This is a free
service.
As PG&E works through the restoration process, it pressure
tests and safety checks the gas system several times. When
individuals attempt to relight their own gas service, this results
in a delay for all customers who are out of service. If customers
have already relighted their own gas service, they can call
1-800-743-5000 so that PG&E can provide a safety check.
PG&E crews are working around the clock with CAL FIRE to ensure
areas are safe to access and to restore service and relight pilot
lights.
Support
The company continues to dispatch workers, supplies and
equipment from its base camps in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake
Counties. Crews from five states are bolstering PG&E’s
workforce as part of a mutual-aid agreement. PG&E’s base camp
in Rohnert Park in Sonoma is the largest in the company’s
history.
Electric Restoration Process
- Once crews have been given permission
to enter an area by CAL FIRE, PG&E crews begin the electric
assessment, repair and restoration process.
- Once safe, the initial step is damage
assessment. Typically, this occurs within 12 to 24 hours.
- PG&E workers will be on site to
make the area safe by isolating electrical hazards.
- Next, an estimated time for restoration
is established, based on needed repairs and time to complete work,
and communicated to customers.
- Before safely re-energizing homes and
businesses, PG&E will inspect adjacent facilities and ensure
locations are safe to receive power.
- Finally, where safe to do so and access
is allowed, restoring service will typically take 24-48 hours
depending on the extent of damage and complexity of the work.
- Repopulation decisions to areas or
neighborhoods are made by local law enforcement.
Gas Restoration Process
- Once crews have been given permission
to enter an area by CAL FIRE, PG&E crews begin the gas
restoration process.
- When PG&E gains access to homes and
businesses, gas crews check the meter. Then, PG&E works to
identify structures that are safe to restore service and those that
have sustained too much damage to safely restore service.
Assessments begin immediately and typically occur within 24 hours
of gaining access.
- Because gas service was turned off to
customers, any air present in the pipeline system is purged to
ensure that natural gas is safely delivered to every structure. The
purging process requires a site visit by a gas technician to access
the gas meter.
- Next, the system is resupplied with gas
and is pressure tested to make sure it is safe.
- PG&E gas workers visit every
home or business where gas may be safely restored to turn the meter
on, purge the pipe within the structure, check for leaks and ensure
every pilot is relit for safe operation.
- Repopulation decisions to areas or
neighborhoods are made by local law enforcement.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
www.pge.com/ and
www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
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Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyMedia Relations,
415-973-5930
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